The Coarse of True Love Never Did Run Smooth
by StefansReign
Summary: The Cullen's have decided to move back to Forks, Washington many years after leaving. Bella, Edward, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett enroll into Forks High School, but things do not go as smoothly between Bella and Edward as they did the last time they went to school here.
1. Chapter 1

I sighed as we pulled into the school parking lot, not ready to start our lives over — again. It has been years since I had been changed, and this would be at least the fourth time I would be enrolling high school. I turned to look at Edward, and he gave me a reassuring smile, telling me everything would be okay.

He got out of the car first, and like the gentlemen he was raised to be (in the 1900's), he walked around his car to open the door for me. "Don't worry, Bella," he whispered into my ear. I felt his hand reach for mine, our fingers intertwining. "Everything will be amazing."

"I'm holding you to that," I said, teasing him. I squeezed his hand slightly as we began walking towards the main office of our new, well old school, Forks High School.

"I can't believe we're back," I heard Alice call from behind Edward and I.

Edward, whose arm was now wrapped around my waist, looked down at me and smiled. "I remember, all those years ago, when my life finally began — on your first of school here." He leaned down to kiss the top of my forehead, but I lifted my chin so our lips could meet.

"Well I remember when I walked into this very office and saw you talking to Ms. Cope about switching out of biology because of a certain someone."

"She must have been awful," he said, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"Who said it was a she?" I said, fake gasping. "That Mike Newton was always a handful, I'm almost positive he was the reason."

After getting our schedules, which were almost identical, we had time before classes started to do whatever, so Edward and I decided to take a walk around the school. I smiled as we passed the cafeteria, remembering the first time Edward and I saw each other. "Come on," I said. "Let's go in."

As we walked through the doors, the memories flooded me. I saw the salad bar, already stocked with some fruit for the kids who didn't have breakfast.

"An apple," Edward pointed out. "How convenient." The apple was in the middle of a fruit bouquet that, to me at least, looked disgusting, but I'm guessing that to a human, would look mouth watering.

"Edible art."

"That's my line," he laughed, going over to pick it up, but using my vampire speed, I beat him there. Just for old time's sake, I "accidentally" knocked it over, and because he's so perfect, it bounced off the toe of Edward's shoe and landed in his palms.

A screeching bell rang so loudly, I could have heard it from miles away, and not just because I'm a vampire. "Let's get going," I said, not wanting to get in trouble on the first day.

Edward and I walked into our AP Spanish, not knowing where to sit, as it was the middle of the school year. Edward walked up to the teacher standing in the front of the classroom and told him how he and I were new, along with our adoptive siblings, and of course, it was in fluent Spanish. The teacher asked us to introduce ourselves to the class, Edward doing it in his perfect Spanish, while I chose to speak in English. "Hi, I'm Isabella Swan, but I go by Bella. Um, I just moved here from Seattle, and uh, yeah."

"Good job with the fillers," Edward said, loud enough for only a vampire to hear. "Very human of you."

"Does it matter where we sit?" I asked politely, in perfect Spanish this time, wanting to be on this teacher's good side. Edward and I could speak many languages fluently in our sleep, if we could sleep, that is, but unfortunately, this was the most advanced class this tiny high school offered, and foreign language was required.

"You two certainly have good Spanish. I see why you're in this class."

"Yes, our family spent a few years in Spain because our mother loved their culture. We perfected it there," I told the teacher, even though it was a complete lie. I'm sure Esme would love the Spanish culture — but not the sun that came along with living in Spain. Also, with all the time we had on our hands, learning Spanish fluently would take us about two weeks, another vampire perk, having a perfect brain, never forgetting anything.

"Well, I might just take the period off and let you teach you guys teach the class," he said jokingly. "Sit anywhere you want, just don't be a distraction."

I chuckled at his joke and followed Edward towards the back of the classroom, apart from everyone else. "You know the last time we went here, everyone thought you guys were freaks," I said as we sat down at the farthest table, pushing our chairs together into a make-shift bench.

"I wonder why?" Edward said, laughing.

"I want to have friends this time, Edward," I said after a few moments of silence, not knowing what his response would be. "And I know Alice does as well. I mean, I love you guys to death, but if we're gonna be doing this for a while, I think we should all make some friends. I think it would be good for us."

I could tell he was trying to stay calm, but even without being able to read his mind, I knew that he hated this idea. "Bella, do you remember what happened the last time I became "friends" with a human?"

"Yeah, Edward. I do. And that was the best thing that ever happened to you, you've told me yourself," I said, starting to get defensive.

Edward sighed, looking down at the floor, then closed his eyes and inhaled slowly, as if he were trying to meditate. I was going to remind him that he doesn't have a heart beat to slow down, but he began to speak. "I'm sorry, Bella. That's not what I was going for. Becoming friends with you, deciding to talk to you, to get to know how absolutely perfect you are, was the best decision that I ever made. But, I was going to say that becoming friends with a human lead to that human finding out about my family's secret."

"I understand where you're coming from, Edward, but in case you didn't realize, the only reason I found out was become of my inhumane amount of stubbornness..." I chuckled, remembering what I went through to find out what he is. "And, I seem to remember the only reason I even thought you were different was because of all the things you needed to do to protect me. And lastly, I am positive that only one person on this Earth needs protection from a) leaving a book store, b) standing in a parking lot, and c) a biology lab, and that is Bella Swan, yours truly."

Edward smiled. "That was a very convincing argument, Miss Swan. You should go to law school," he said sarcastically, knowing that just last year I had graduated from Yale, majoring in law. "However, you made a strong case; I shall consider it."

I punched him playfully, with the amount of strength that would have let any human black and blue for at least a week, but to Edward, it felt just like a tap on the shoulder. "I'm serious about this. I love it here in Forks, it's the one place that truly feels like home to me. And if I'm going back to high school, I'm going to live the high school experience, whether you're by my side or not, although I hope you are."

Once again, the screeching bell rang, and everyone was out of the classroom so fast, I could have sworn they were faster than a vampire. "Miss Swan and Mr. Cullen, please, come here. I need to talk." We made our way from the back of the room towards his messy desk. "Listen, I know you guys didn't pay attention, and quite frankly, I don't care," he paused, and I could tell that he wasn't sure whether he should go on, but, he did. "I know that your Spanish is probably ten times better than mine, and that this class is a waste for you, but please, try to keep your talking to a minimum, the entire class kept looking back at you every other second."

"Of course, we're sorry for being so disrespectful. I will definitely try," Edward said, bring out his goody two shoes side. Hand in hand, we walked out of the classroom and into our next, Biology.

Once again, we were forced to introduce ourselves, only this time, we requested a specific table. Mostly because I was turning on my charm, the teacher allowed us to sit wherever, very confused on why we would care which seats we would sit in. As if it were fate, today, the class would be analyzing onion roots. Edward and I looked at each other and started cracking up, drawing more attention than needed, but at this moment, we didn't care.

"Is everything okay?" the teacher asked, sounding more annoyed than concerned.

"Oh, yes, everything is perfect. Carry on with your lesson," I said, trying to sound as serious as possible, but I could hear Edward still chuckling under his breath. After suffering through a lecture about the different stages of mitosis, we were each handed 5 different plates to analyze.

Edward and I got right to work, probably not even needing the microscope, but to look human, we used it anyways. "Metaphase," I said. Smirking, I added, "Did you want to check?"

"It's metaphase," he confirmed.

"Like I said," I replied with a smirk.

When class had ended, once again, we had won the golden onion — again, but this time, it ended up in a nearby trash can. Edward walked me to gym, the only class we didn't have together, and kissed me goodbye before I entered the girl's locker rooms. The class was playing basketball, and for the first time I could ever remember, I didn't dread walking into this gym, seeing as I now had vampire reflexes and didn't trip over flat surfaces.

We were asked to partner up, and I got stuck with this jock who said his name was Steven, but was a bit too engaged in our small talk. After beating him one-on-one at least five times, the class ended, and we were sent back into the locker rooms to change. But as I walked out, of course, Steven was waiting at the door for me. "You have lunch, right, Bella?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.

"The last time I check, everyone has lunch together," I replied, sounding slightly annoyed. I tried walking past him, but he would just jog a bit too catch up with me.

"Here, I'll walk you to the cafeteria," he offered, again, sounding too eager.

Even though I already knew my way to the cafeteria, I accepted. On our way there, Steven told me about all of his "epic" pranks he has pulled on either students or teachers, and how much of a legend he already was in the eyes of the student body. "You should meet my brother, Emmett. You two would get along well," I told him.

We walked into the cafeteria, and my entire family was already sitting around the table farthest away from everyone, as usual. "I have to go sit with my family," I said to Steven, probably sounding more excited than disappointed. "Maybe we will see each other again."

Edward had saved me a seat next to him, like the perfect gentleman. I looked around to see a perfect family, to my eyes at least, but I'm betting that to any human in this room, we would be seen as a bunch of freaks. However, my time taking in the beauty of the people sitting around me was rudely interrupted by a pack of boys, all in the same yellow letterman jacket.

"Hey, Bella," Steven said awkwardly. "I know we just met and all, but there's a small party tonight at my buddy Alex's house. You in? Only the coolest kids are going."

"So I'm guessing you won't be there?" I asked, not able to give up a perfect opportunity to play with him a bit.

"See, I told you! Isn't she funny?" he said towards his friends.

"I wasn't being funny — I'm dead serious." I said, cracking a smile. "I'll be there." I glanced over at Edward, who looked like he could rip Steven's head of for even attempting to flirt with me. Edward was the love of my life, well, my existence, and I didn't want to get in a fight on our first day back at Forks High School, so I told Steven I would only go if I could bring Edward, emphasizing that he is my boyfriend.

"Um, sounds great," he said. "See you both there." He turned and walked away, but little did he know how perfectly clear I could hear his friends making fun of him for practically being turned down for once in his life.

We all finished our food, and by finished, I mean that we threw untouched food into the trash can. "Bella, we're not going to a party tonight," Edward said as we left the lunch room. I knew he hated the idea, but I was hoping that his love for me would overpower his wants or something cheesy like that. "What if something goes wrong?"

I sighed. "What could go wrong, Edward. I'd be with you the entire time — I just want to have some fun. I want to make some friends."

"You have 6 friends already," he pointed out, trying to sound optimistic.

"Do you know how pathetic that sounds?" I said, picturing me telling everyone how I only had six friends who just happened to be related to me. "And 5 — I don't think Rose counts herself as my friend... Edward, I'm going to that party. And you're coming with me, whether you like it or not."


	2. Chapter 2

I looked into the mirror and saw a breath-taking vampire staring back at me. She had on a pair of dark wash jeans, a white, flowy blouse with a pair of tan heels about two inches high. Around her neck there was a gold necklace, and on her wrist there was a charm bracket that had a wooden dog and a silver heart. She wore no make up, truly not needing any. I took a deep breath and walked out of my room and headed downstairs to meet Edward.

Looking perfect as usual, he was wearing a pair of dark wash jeans, black sneakers, and a black v-neck t-shirt that hugged his chest, showing off his abs. "Ready?" he asked me, although we both knew that he was the one not ready. He held out his hand, which I grabbed to pull him closer to me, tilting my chin up for a quick kiss. "Rose and Emmett have decided to come with us," he told me. Edward had talked with Carlisle and Esme after school ended, telling them of my newfound need for "popularity," trying to get them to convince me to lay low. Although Carlisle was hesitant at first, Esme thought it was a good idea for us to have some fun, as long as we still kept our distance and kept up the human act.

"Whose car are we taking?" I asked, trying to create small talk. I loved Edward for doing this for me — I knew he would much rather be learning a new language, or studying some ancient field of medicine than be going to a trashy high school party.

I didn't want to go for popularity or anything, I just wanted to feel welcome. In every place that we went to, I could hear the whispers behind our backs. It didn't bother any of us, but still, I felt this need to be accepted in the way I was when I first transferred to Forks while I was human.

"We're taking my car," he replied quickly. God, I hated when he was unhappy — someone as beautiful as him should deserve to be happy all the time. So, I told myself that he would have fun once he got to the party, but I didn't believe myself for one second.

"Edward, I'm really sorry for doing this to you. I should have talked with you before saying that I would go. Actually, I should have talked to the entire family before I started even talking with Steven," I said, my eyes on the floor.

"Bella, it's okay. I see where you're coming from, I really do. But you have to see my side of the story, and how I'm thinking of the whole families protection. We all love it here, especially you, but none of us want to suddenly disappear because someone has started to suspect that we're anything other than human." As usual, he was the perfect boyfriend: understanding what I want, yet always having my best interest at heart. It was times like this that were the reasons I loved him.

We all got into Edward's car, Rosalie and Emmett in the back, trying to get as close as possible, while I was in the front, with a stupid gear in between Edward and I. We drove in silence, none of us knowing what to expect or how to act "normal," at a high school party, as we were hardly ever invited to socialize with our peers.

Emmett, Rose, Edward, and I walked up to the house nervously — it had been decades since we had done this. "Come on, Em. Let loose — let's have some fun tonight," I heard Rosalie say as soon as we got inside.

Edward's hand reached for mine. "Bella, I'm still not sure — " he began.

"— Well I am," I interrupted him. "Tonight is going to be fun, you can make some friends. And in case you didn't know what that a friend is, it's a person, who you don't want to kiss, or kill, but enjoy their company none the less... And I'm going to help you make some. See that girl?" I said, pointing at a short blonde wearing too much foundation. "Put her out of her misery, and talk to her for five minutes like a normal person, and we can leave... And I'll be listening."

"Alright," he said, accepting the challenge. "But that means you have to go talk to him." Edward pointed a very boastful young man. He wore no shirt, although I assume that he just gotten too drunk to care about clothing. Like all the arrogant teenage boys, he was holding a red solo cup, and was surrounded by a clump of girls in daisy dukes and crop tops with a hard of guys all staring at the girls' asses. I immediately hated him, and even though Edward couldn't read my mind, it was like he chose the person I would get along with the least, and he knew it.

I saw Edward walk over to the girl, who told him that her name was Sophie, and immediately regretted making him talk with her, the jealousy boiling inside me. I let go of my shield, wanting Edward to know what I was thinking, to know that I did not want him flirting around with me. But I then remembered that Edward had eyes only for me, and he was only talking to her because he was being forced. I momentarily hated myself for doubting Edward, knowing that he would never think that low of me as to flirt with someone else.

I walked over to the boy, pushing past three girls practically hanging off him, and stood beside him. "Hi," I said. "I'm Bella, the new girl."

"I know," he said. "Word gets around quickly when a pretty girl moves to Forks."

"Then you're probably talking about Rosalie" I said, blushing.

"The hot brunette who sass-ed Steven into the next century? Pretty sure Rosalie only hits one of those categories." he said as his eyes wandered up and down my body. His dark brown eyes with hazel highlights stopped once they reached mine, our eyes meeting for a split second.

I smiled at him. Wow, I smiled at him. I looked over at Edward, who was also smiling at Sophie, but I could tell it was his forced smile, the kind he used in public to keep up the human facade. But with this stereotypical stranger, I didn't need to pretend to laugh... strange.

"I have a boyfriend," I blurted out. Great, my impecable social skills that Hans been used in over a decade were coming out to play. Damn it, for being perfect, I really knew how to screw things up in a matter of minutes. Of course, that shouldn't even matter, I told myself, knowing that in a few years we would leave once again, and I would have to reread Wuthering Heights and relearn the battles of the Civil War. Something about his smile, about his warm eyes... STOP IT! I mentally yelled to myself, hating every ounce of fat in my body for even thinking about someone other than my soulmate. But something about this town, I corrected myself, just made me feel human — which comes along with the bad parts, like, say, nervousness and being a total idiot.

"You mean the guy talking to Slutty Sophie?" he asked. "He seems like he's enjoying himself." From anyone else's point of view, they would have seen a handsome young man and a pretty young woman very involved in a conversation in a dark corner, maybe even a little too close for comfort. They would have seen two people, possibility flirting with each other. But, with my vampire senses, and my Edward sense, I saw something totally different. I saw a girl who would keep her hand on his chest for a second too long. I saw the man breaking their eye contact at the right moment, while the girl continued to stare, making the situation slightly awkward. I saw how the boy look around the room whenever the girl would flash a smile.

"Trust me — he's not," I said, smiling to myself as I thought about how Edward must be feeling: bored out of his mind, probably. "By the way, what's your name?"

"I'm —"

"— Bella, there you are," I heard Steven say from behind me. "I have been trying to find you. I was beginning to think that you had bailed on me." He gave me a friendly hug, but I did not return the small act of affection, keeping my arms awkwardly by my side. "Wow, Bella. You're freezing."

"Oh, am I?" I said, trying to play things cool. "Um, the heat in our car wasn't on, I probably just need some time to warm up."

"Where's that boyfriend of yours... Edward?" he asked, attempting, but failing to sound nonchalant.

"He's over there — talking to that Sophie chic," I said without a hint of worry. I looked over to Edward and Sophie to see how things were going, even though it had only been a minute or so. She was all over him, laughing at everything he said and finding excuses here and there to get closer to him. However, every time she took a step forward, he took one backwards. I could tell that this was frustrating her, and just to rub it in her face, I decided I would walk over.

"It's really loud in here. Want to go some place quiet?" Steven asked me.

"I'm sorry, Steven. I would — but I gotta go steal Edward back, seeing as I have this feeling that Sophie could talk to him all night if Edward would let her," I told him. "You could come over if you want and get to know him a bit."

Steven followed me as I walked up to my boyfriend, giving him a quick kiss on the lips, but Edward turned it into something much more. I wasn't sure if he was doing this to prove to Sophie that he wasn't interested, or to show Steven that I was not available, but either way, I had no objections. After "coming up for air," which was completely unnecessary for us, Edward put his arm around my waist, pulling me as tight as possible to him. "Hi, I'm Bella!" I said, introducing myself to Sophie.

She decided to ignore me, and then turned to Edward. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted. "Sophie," Edward shouted. "Bella just said hello. I don't think you could hear her since the music is so loud."

Sophie's eyes turned cold for a second, but then she smiled at Edward. "I'm sorry, it is really loud." She turned to face me, her smile quickly falling off her face. "Nice to meet you," she said not sounding one bit interested. "I saw you talking to that guy a few minutes ago... I'm going to be nice and give you a small social tip — unless you want the reputation as that girl, I'd steal clear from him."

"Thanks, but I only talked to him for a bet," I told her, bringing out my bitchy side. "In fact, it was the same bet that made Edward talk to you... You see, for me, Edward picked a stereotypical jock without a filter. And for him, I picked the desperate school slut. " I glared at Sophie, looking at her right in the eye. "We're leaving, so let me give you a little hint: this will be the last time my boyfriend ever talks to you, so cherish this moment." I could see Edward was nervous that I was bringing too much attention to myself, but I couldn't control my anger.

I stormed out of the party, dragging Edward along with me, although I was sure that he was as happy to leave as I was. Deciding to run home, we left the car for Rosalie and Emmett.

"Edward, I'm really sorry that I made you go — it wasn't what I expected," I told him as we arrived at our cottage. I opened the door, and ran at vampire speed to my walk in closet, desperate to take off my clothes and get in a pair of sweat pants and a tank top.

"So I'm guessing that the old Bella is back? You know, the one who I had to force to go to her own junior prom? Where you wore a pair of old converse sneakers?" Edward said, sounding a bit excited. I knew that he loved me as a vampire with my newfound sense of confidence, but I at the same time, I could tell he missed the human Bella who wanted to wear sneakers to her wedding.

"She's making a come back." I laughed, as I remember human me. Human Bella would have been disgusted with me right now. Human Bella would have had to be literally dragged to the party, and she probably would have worn an old base ball jersey. But now, there I was, in tight fitting jeans with 2 inch heels, forcing Edward to go to a party with me just for the sake of going. "It may not be too successful, though."

"Just wondering, were you listening to Sophie's thoughts tonight?" I asked, and I was in fact very interested. I prepared myself for the worst, to hear how she was planning to steal Edward from me, how she thought that she was ten times prettier than me, and that how she could totally get Edward to talk to her, if she wanted to.

"At first, but then it got unbearable, so I decided to listen to that guy you were talking to." He looked around the room nervously, as if he was unsure of what he was going to say next. "Bella, I will always trust your judgement, but you should have heard the vile and repulsive things he was thinking about you. I hate saying this, but Sophie is right, I want you to stay away from him. The way he thought about you, about women in general, I want - no I need you to stay away. Bella promise me, promete me you will stay away from Jacob Black."


End file.
